A few random S3 thoughts

spoilers under the cut

Okay, I was wrong. I am pleased to admit I still don’t feel for Kreese at all, even after the obvious attempts to make that happen. These writers are obviously trying to pull a Once Upon a Time and make us sympathize with all the villains, but sorry, when it comes to Kreese that’s not happening. Probably not going to happen with Silver either.

I will say I liked how they handled Daniel’s Okinawa trip. They gave a sensible plot-driven reason for him to be in Japan, his side-trip to Okinawa didn’t seem to take more than a day and a half, and I really enjoyed seeing Kumiko and Chozen again. The scene of Kumiko sharing Mr. Miyagi’s letters was very emotional and well handles. (Though tbh I’m still mad at Mr. Miyagi for never marrying Yukie.) Although Chozen had little time onscreen, his growth did seem believable. (Frankly we didn’t need three minutes of flashbacks to remind up who he was and that time could have been better used.) I saw the “honk” moment coming, but it was still hilarious. And I loved the touch of that little girl Daniel saved being the one who saved his business. It was something a fanfic trope but tbh all the better for it.

The writers are still trying to push how Tory is really poor, but they are crap at writing poor people problems. She’s working two jobs and totally overwhelmed, but as soon as Kreese threatens her landlord and lets her train for free, suddenly she’s got loads of free time to act unhinged and cause trouble? Like kiddo, don’t you still have bills to pay? Don’t you still need to buy food?!

I wasn’t thrilled with how all of Amanda’s solutions were failures. I could see the police one not working but the whole “nuclear option” bit was just bad.

Aside from Robby getting screwed over by everyone again - which I hate - Daniel’s handling of it seemed very OOC. Calling the cops before he even talks to Robby? How tf was that NOT going to blow up in his face? Daniel has moments of impetuousness but it’s usually driven by anger. He’s not stupid, but his handling of that was stupid. Why not get the kid back to the dojo, let him sleep and eat and feel safe for like five minutes, and then talk him into turning himself in? The way Daniel did it just traumatized the poor kid even further and reinforced that he can’t trust anyone. I hated that so much. No wonder the poor kid ran to Kreese. I like Johnny and Daniel both but I swear the way they and others keep screwing Robby over is like a supervillain backstory in the making.

Yeah it’s nice that Eli/Hawk finally wised up and switched sides, but I am not impressed because it was way past time he did, to the point that when he finally did it made no sense anymore. Breaking Demetri’s arm didn’t push him past the breaking point? Having Miguel turn against him didn’t do it? Suddenly being allied with the psycho who used to bully him didn’t do it? (And what the actual fuck was with him beating the shit out of Kyler’s sidekick but like five minutes later he’s totally cool and buds with Kyler? Wtf?) Being reminded how much he owed Johnny didn’t do it? If none of that was too much for him to finally shake Kreese’s influence, what the hell in that final fight did it? I know it was supposed to be a lot of things building up, but it just didn’t work. They sacrificed coherent character development for dramatic timing.

I might rewatch the series later and be able to assemble a more coherent opinion of the season as a whole, but those are the main things that stuck out in my mind after watching.

The Homoerotic Subtext In Victorious: Jade and Tori

I’ve done a lot of nothing during quarantine. The same old same old, wake up at noon, eat something, find the homoerotic subtext in every straight film/show/video game I come across. Isn’t that how we all spend our afternoons? 

It started with Taylor Swift, and the wlw undertones in all of her newest songs. Despite being in a long term relationship with a man, she penned lyrics like “those days turned into nights, slept next to her, but I dreamt of you all summer long” and “what would he do if he found us out? he’s gonna burn this house to the ground,” So of course I went from hating on all of this straight media, to searching for queer scraps in the background of these art pieces. From the new summer Disney flick, Luca, to the characters in my newest copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 on Xbox One. 

I always loved Victorious, it’s been one of my favorite shows since I was a child. The strange humor, the funny remarks. Always wondering why I liked the sassy, demanding Jade instead of the swoon-worthy womanizer Beck.

So, in quarantine, when I heard that Victorious was coming to Netflix, I re watched the entire show and couldn’t help but notice all of the queer innuendos, and rather flirty scenes between female actors. Of course- I’m not the first person to ever notice this. The homoerotic implied relationship between Tori Vega and Jade West had been shipped plenty of times and edited to oblivion by young, gay teens.

Since this is all news to me, I thought I’d go through every episode of Victorious and tell you what is gay about it, from a lesbian’s point of view. 

Pilot

I never noticed how queer coded Victorious is, especially this very first episode. The sexual tension between the girls is almost too much, I have to drink some water every few minutes.

It’s clear to me that Jade is taking advantage of new girl Tori, and trying to establish her superiority because of her own fears and insecurities.

[Tori bumps into Beck, spilling coffee all over him] Tori: Oh my gosh! Beck: Ah, it’s cool Tori: No, here- I think it’s coming out. [Tori attempts to rub the coffee stain out of Beck’s shirt] Beck: You might be making it worse, actually. [Jade enters] Jade: Dude, why are you rubbing my boyfriend? Tori: I-I just spilled coffee on- Jade: Get away from him. Beck: Relax. [Beck kisses a reluctant Jade on the cheek]

Our very first introduction to Jade West is her making sure everybody knows Beck is her boyfriend. Multiple times throughout the episode, she cuddles up to him, picks him as her partner, and kisses him in front of the whole class. There’s a straight explanation to this, but there’s also a queer one. Jade is insecure in her attraction to girls and feels as though she needs to prove herself and everyone else that she does, in fact, like men.

Sikowitz: Jade, you will captain the first group of the day. Choose your actors. Jade: Cat, Eli, Beck, and Tori. Tori, why don’t you go wait in the hall? Tori: Uh, okay. Jade: I have great news that’ll cheer up this whole family. I went to the animal shelter and got us a dog. [Pulls Tori into the classroom by the arm] Tori: Uh, yep! I’m the new family dog. Woof. Jade: Uh oh, looks like this dog has bugs in her fur. [Jade strokes Tori’s hair] Tori: Uh, woof? Jade: Oh, it’s okay! I read on the internet that coffee works great for getting rid of fur bugs. Beck: Maybe you shouldn’t- Andre: Jade- [Jade dramatically pours the coffee on Tori’s head] Jade: What’s the prob, dog? [Tori runs out of the room, contemplating quitting Hollywood Arts]

Jade not only wants everyone to know that she’s straight, but she also wants everyone to know that she possesses a dominant personality, and isn’t afraid to get dirty. In this case, she does all that she can to make Tori’s day a living hell, all because she touched her boyfriend.

I don’t recall this as normal straight girlfriend behavior, there’s gotta be a fear of being outed rooted down deep in Jade’s bones- right?

The episode leads to a scene whereas the two girls are arguing, and there are only a few notable lines:

Jade: Just where did you come from? Tori: Kangaroos. Jade: Lousy animals, Kangaroos, they're awkward and dirty. Tori: Maybe they learned from you. [The classroom tenses, the girls getting more and more angry] Jade: No one talks to me like that. Tori: Obviously someone should. Jade: Please run in front of a bus! Tori: Quite obnoxious of you to say.

Jade: Really? Tori: Sure was.

Jade: Thanks. [Sarcastically]

Scenes get tense as the girls grow closer to each other, getting more and more upset.

But it’s also a lot like playing cat and mouse.

Day 1, Jade picks Tori for her team, day 2, Tori picks Jade for her team just to spite her. The submissive trying to declare dominance, whilst the real dom notices the attention seeking. When Jade says that no one speaks to her like that, and Tori proceeds to comment that someone should, a sexual tension is cast into the air. It’s obvious to any viewer. 

The condescending flirtatious “Really?” Followed up by the bold “Sure was.” Is very queer coded. No one talks like that to someone they don’t find attractive. C’mon.

Author’s Conclusion: Jade feels the need to be angry and rude to anyone who threatens her heterosexuality. She possesses a fear of being outed, and does whatever she can to maintain a normal relationship with a man. But even her attraction to girls and her dominant personality can’t hide, as her actions reveal the closet to be made of glass.

Tori Goes Platinum

Tori: “Everyone else was coming to cheer you on, so... Figured I would, too. And you look way better in that than I would have.”

Jade: “This isn’t right. This was supposed to be your night. I can’t do that to a friend.”

- Jade is the most concerned person in the room when Tori begins acting differently after landing a gig at the Platinum Music Awards. Leading a class wide discussion, Jade discusses Tori’s change in behavior and provides her own evidence and proof to back up her statements. When Tori enters the classroom, Jade confronts her without hesitation, and seems to be the only person who cares enough about the pop stars well being. (Authors note: Only someone who truly cared about another would notice when they’re acting different and confront them to try and fix the problem...)

- When Tori refuses to wear the ridiculous outfits the record label provides, her opportunity to perform at the Platinum Music Awards is stripped away. Jade is asked to fill her place, and despite saying yes, she hesitates for a moment. These matter of seconds prove Jade has some kind of moral in her mind telling her that doing this would hurt Tori, and hurt their relationship.

- Beck and Tori don’t realize that they are still on video call with Jade, and the two almost kiss. Tori backs away, the following conversation takes place.

Beck: “Then why can’t we kiss?”

Tori: “Kissing your friends ex boyfriend...”

Beck: “Since when are you and Jade friends?”

Tori: “We’re kind of friends, I think. And kissing her ex boyfriend... I can’t do that to a friend.”

Despite the overuse of the word friend, this is still a sweet moment, and when Jade overhears this exchange, she realizes taking this opportunity away from Tori isn’t the right thing to do.

- 

GODDDD GET READY GIRL!! this is my favourite favourite chapter, i loved it more than 8 and yeahhh lets wait for epilogue BUT GOD!!THIS!!CHAP!! i am a fluff baby buuut the angst was de ouf! it hurt in all the right ways omg sooo FIRST OF ALL “Eliott would have heard him over a hundred people screaming. “ THIS LINE !!! i just loooved it so so much, the sheer romanticism🥺

“On your daily list of dramatic bitch ass interns you want to strangle, has Eliott ever made the top five?” Idriss leaves it at that” THIS LINE HAHA (1)

“On your daily list of dramatic bitch ass interns you want to strangle, has Eliott ever made the top five?” Idriss leaves it at that” THIS LINE HAHA

That anon who said that they imagined eliott jerking himself off to the sex tape while crying,,, was sooo on point hahaha although it broke my heartttt when he was imagining lucas and what’d lucas say and him imagining cuddling lucas,, aaahh poor bby😞😞 and the fact that eliott was HURTING AS HELL but he said these out loud to himself “I love you. I love you. Lucas, I love you.” (2)

“Call my mom later. Fret to her about it.”

“Seriously, Eliott?!” He can hear her sigh in frustration.” Ok i didn’t get that why was SHE being frustrated and why eliott apologised her later?? i pretty disliked this lucille talking to eliott’s mom about eliott like he is some idk a thing that has to be discussed?? it annoyed me really and the fact that LUCILLE WAS THE ONE being frustrated?? i dont get it

“Why are you being like this?” “You don’t. Why are you saying that? Why –” His voice cracks. “You don’t hate me.” OK THIS OH MY GOD i could just cry from these 3 lines,,, the hurt that is so visible oh goddddd. (3)

eliott’s conversation with manon!!! was THE BEST thing is2ggg!!! only if i could copy paste the whole convo but the thing that got me specifically was when manon asked him “Does this feel like Lucas to you? The Lucas you know?” and the whole thing eliott thought about how in love he is with lucas,,, BEST BEST 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

“Lucas can’t lose you, Eliott. He’s lost… so much in his life. He’s survived it but… it’s different with you. Please just… give him a chance.” BROKE MY FUCCCN HEART (4)

“Lucas pulls back, hands tight on Eliott’s face, thumbs pressed to his cheeks. There are tears on his own, spilling over onto his cheeks, and Eliott desperately wants to kiss them away “I fucking hate you,” Lucas says through a hiccuped sob. “I hate that I don’t hate you at all. I hate that I’m so fucking in love with you I can’t remember anything before you. But it remembers me.”” FUCK FUCK I GOT CHILLS WHEN I READ THIS SCENE FUCCCC

eliott threatening dr. piece of shit LOLLL my dramatic bbbyyyy (5)

“it’s not just him I’m worried about. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.” okay this is pretty sweet how their bestfriends care for their partners

“You two are the dumbest gays –” hahahaha idriss stating facts! (6)

“Ok, he can be a bit dramatic. But he’s been dealt a really shitty hand. He’s just doing his best – doing what he thinks is best. And… I like it – love it. The way that he is.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty obvious, bro.”

“I wish he’d let me tell him,” Eliott laments.

“He will. But maybe dial back the drama and stop chasing him around the city.”

Eliott pouts, stubbornly turning his face away. “I don’t think I will.”

Idriss chuckles “Let’s get you home before you set your brain to any other dumbass ways to declare your undying love.”

“That’s not very supportive,” Eliott complains.”,,,, OK THIS CONVO IS SOOO CUTE AND I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE BROMANCE BW THEM!!💓💓💓 (7)

blink if eliott misses lucas and thinks about him in his bedroom and how the last time eliott got peaceful sleep was with lucas in his arms

eliott looking at lucas’ beautifulll smiling picturee was so cute 🧡 (8)

lucas showing up in the middle of night!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I FELT THROUGH THIS SCENE aaahhh relief hurt love- everyyything!!! the hug🥺🥺🥺 why was lucas saying sorry tho? because he showed up in the middle of night or because of the way he broke off things with eliott??

i didn’t expect lucas saying ily once again and i DID NOT expect him being surprised when eliott said it back because when lucas broke off things,, eliott was clearly saying that they are together and he wants them to be together!!! (9)

“It’s not fair, I wasn’t supposed to meet you yet.” GOD THESE GAY SOULMATES 🥺🥺🥺🧡🧡

i liked them bringing old convos and references hahaha.

“Who taught you to kiss, average?” was he saying this in tease or in compliment?

“You said you thought I was the love of your life.”

“Yeah, well, two orgasms later and I’m sure.” AMAZING BANTER (10)

“Yeah.” Lucas laughs a little. “Turns out you’re my trigger – the one thing I couldn’t fake. And he said –” Lucas cuts himself off. “It doesn’t matter. I punched him.”

THIS WAS AMAZING but im curious what dr. piece of shit said about eli?

“Just for that I’m gonna mix bit of chocolate and fries into your salad when you’re not looking.” AMAZING!!! (11)

moreover i really loved how all of their friends are in secure relationships and still supportive and stuff!! we all need a idriss in our lives honestly 🥺🧡🧡 The last time i bombarded your asks this way when i read 6 and ugggh this chapter is my favourite although it has angst and i’m a fluff baby but STILL i just love it so so much!! i’m so sad about this fic being over but also happy because i’m going to reread it a million and one times. Ok thats all (+what do you say on epilogue a little earlier lol jk...unless??) well love you and your amazing fics xx. (12-end)

💜💜💜💜

YAYYYYYYY!!!! What fun reactions! It makes me sooooo happy it’s your fave chapter now! 

“That anon who said that they imagined eliott jerking himself off to the sex tape while crying” OH MY GOD I KNOW!!!! When that anon sent that ask I lol’ed so hard because it was like... how right you are and how well you know Eliott lmao. 

Oh so the Lucille and Eliott scene. Honestly it’s just an extension of how I saw their relationship in this one. I wanted it to be overall good, but still to have that friction that makes it clear why they didn’t and don’t work well together. Lucille thinks she’s doing what’s right and good for Eliott - talking to his mom, keeping her updated... essentially trying to control his life far too much and not actually allowing a lot of trust. Because they’re not in a relationship, her relationship with Eliott actually does benefit him. It keeps his mom from constantly hovering over him. But of course Eliott will harbour resentment too. So yeah, a tricky relationship. I never go into it fully but there is a lot subtly suggested. 

I love the elevator scene too! And Idriss and Eliott! 

I knew in this one I wanted Lucas to say the ‘I love you’ out loud first. It felt necessary when we’re in Eliott’s head, we know his feelings, and we see him constantly putting himself out there and fighting for Lucas. It’s essentially the narrative (and Lucas!) saying, ‘I’m in this too’. 

The ‘who taught you to kiss, average’ is fully Lucas giving Eliott shit because Eliott was being sloppy and enthusiastic and kissing like a total mess hahaha. 

I’ll answer the question re: what Moreau said in another ask - got a few people asking about it haha. 

I’m so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I loved seeing what stood out to you and all the little moments you enjoyed! 😊💕💕💕💕

Don’t really have much to say about Sharp Objects (it’s good but that’s all I‘ve got lol) but I’ve been moving on through my tgw rewatch and I want to talk about tgw with someone! So I was wondering what are your favorite relationships (romantic and otherwise) on the show? What’s your favorite season? What’s your biggest praise for the show and your biggest criticism?

Don’treally have much to say about Sharp Objects (it’s good but that’s all I‘ve gotlol) but I’ve been moving on through my tgw rewatch and I want to talk abouttgw with someone! So I was wondering what are your favorite relationships(romantic and otherwise) on the show? What’s your favorite season? What’s yourbiggest praise for the show and your biggest criticism?

So before I get in to my (very delayed) reply, just want tomake sure that all my followers are aware of @hermione-mak-gilmore‘s awesome TGW rewatch posts,which you can find here.

My thoughts, rambling and not proofread as ever, are under the cut. 

FavoriteRelationships:

Romantic: Diane and Kurt and no others. Okay, that’s a lie.I think TGW had a lot of compelling and well-developed romantic relationships,even if Diane/Kurt is the only pairing I would say I ship. If I expand my thinking to include romantic relationshipsthat were written well enough to elicit strong feelings and many, manythoughts, I have to mention both Alicia/Will and Alicia/Peter. Just look at thelayers in Will’s Decision Treesequence, or the subtle shifts in their relationship over the years, or theconflicting feelings of season three, or (oh my goodness) any of Alicia’sthoughts after Will’s death (excluding season 7 because season 7 doesn’t dothem justice lol). And for Alicia/Peter, every time the two of them discusstheir family or politics, I see why they’re drawn to each other, and every timethey fight, I see just how much history and baggage they have.

Not romantic: Alicia and Cary’s always underdevelopedpartnership, Alicia and Diane’s complicated friendship (and the power dynamics!And the paranoia!), Alicia and Eli’s mutual respect that turned into afriendship, Alicia and Kalinda (don’t get me started), Cary and Clarke’sfriendship, Diane and Cary (they’re so alike but never seem to be able to workwell together!), DIANE AND WILL’S PARTNERSHIP (that one gets to be in allcaps), Diane and Kalinda (I don’t think we ever got enough of them together),Eli and Peter, Kalinda and Will, Kalinda and Robyn, and probably every othercombination of characters.

Favorite Season:

My personal favorite season is probably season six but I’llbe the first to admit it’s not the best season (and that it is in factinfuriatingly terrible at many points). Instead of ranking the seasons I’mgoing to make a pro/con list for each of them…

Season 1:

Pros: Everythingis so simple yet effective! I love, love, love the structure and pacing of theseason (Alicia/Cary’s competition). The small moments are priceless, and everycharacter’s personality (especially Alicia’s) is well-established. And when Ilook back at season one, I can see all of the groundwork being laid for thetone/humor/style that’s become TGW’s signature.

Cons: It feelslike a first season. If this aired today and not in 2009, I’m not sure I would’vecut some weak early episodes as much slack as I did when I first watched. ThePilot is great (clichéd at times, but great) but it’s not until, what, episode14? That the show finds its footing. That’s a lot of time to invest in a showthat’s a mixed bag. There are lots of weak episodes (Unorthodox, I’m looking at you) and storylines (Peter’s retrial andall the conspiracy surrounding it).

Season 2:

Pros: Season 2contains Nine Hours, which is stillone of the best hours of TGW, as well as HamSandwich and that run of episodes from InSickness to Closing Arguments. Ifseason 2 were just its best episodes, it would easily be one of my favoriteseasons. But…

Cons: It alsocontains a bunch of filler episodes I can barely remember, a few too manypolitical plots about viral videos, and the nonsense that was Blake Calamar(and that never-ending hotel scene in NetWorth). Oh, and I’m here for the drama but Peter never slept with Kalindalol nope I don’t buy it.

Season 3:

Pros: It has somereally great standalone episodes.

Cons: It has somereally terrible episodes and subplots. Alicia’s wig. A general lack ofdirection that makes even enjoyable subplots seem meaningless and distracting.

Season 4:

Pros: Everythingfrom The Seven Day Rule to What’s in the Box? is some of thestrongest material ever on the show. The introduction of memory pops!

Cons: Beginning ofKalicia ban, NICK SAVARESE’S EXISTENCE, Mandy Post Idiot Reporter (yes she getsa mention), deeply boring cases and plots in the first half of the season, someweird stuff for the Florrick kids.

Season 5:

Pros: HITTING THEFAN. THE DECISION TREE. A FEW WORDS. DRAMATICS, YOUR HONOR. THE LAST CALL. Idon’t think any other season has as many pivotal, perfect episodes. And seasonfive has the strongest structure of any season (season one is a close second)with its five episode arcs that make you forget the bad, slow episodes becausethere’s always a great, dramatic episode in the near future. Season five makesthe most of four seasons of worldbuilding. It’s smart and exciting and dramaticand it still feels like almost everything is motivated by character developmentrather than a need for plot (see: office politics in the later seasons, or howclumsily Bond is introduced at the beginning of season two). Also thescore!!!!! Season five is the year the score becomes truly incredible.

Cons: Some of theseason five episodes are weak, y’all.We, The Juries is terrible, and thatepisode and Goliath and David were acomplete waste of time (but we got Thicky Trick out of the latter so it canstay). Most of the episodes that aren’t the big ones are similarly weak. TheKalicia ban continues, and unlike in season four, Kalinda’s material reallysuffers as a result. It feels like she has a nude scene in most episodes. Andthen the last run of episodes in the season has its moments, but most of it isjust… directionless and not very good. You can tell the writers were building to 5x15 and then had to scramble tofind new directions in its aftermath.

Season 6:

Pros: The writers’dedication to exploring Alicia’s journey and how she’s changed over the years.The beginnings of the Cary arc. Some good material for Kalinda (and some badmaterial but I’ll get to that). Prady is a perfect opponent for Alicia. Johnnyis a great addition to the cast. Some really great Alicia/Peter moments andfights.

Cons: The Debate. The separation of the leads,which probably happened because of (ugh) the Kalicia ban (UGH). Not only arethe leads separate from each other, they’re separate in glaring ways. It’s notsimply that Alicia’s off running a campaign (a very good reason she might notbe interacting with Kalinda day to day)… it’s that Alicia’s running a campaignbut her law partners have no opinions about it, until they suddenly do, butthen they suddenly don’t again. How am I supposed to be invested in interpersonaldrama when they aren’t laying groundwork? Season five used up so much of thegroundwork laid previously that the show needed to take a minute to reset andplay out its new conflicts before rushing into more dramatic storylines.Instead… Diane’s at the firm now, Alicia’s running for SA, Cary’s in jail, and thefirm’s somehow back at LG (and somehow hasbecome LG by the end of the season). I don’t think season six contains manybad ideas, it just doesn’t juggle its ideas well. A better version of seasonsix wouldn’t just give us great Alicia episodes, it would use conflicts at theoffice and the way the other characters view Alicia’s campaign to add another layer.I personally didn’t have any trouble figuring out why Alicia was running for SAbut I know that’s been a top objection to s6, and I understand where it comesfrom. A better arc—one that forced Alicia to explain her motivations to othersand devoted more time to Alicia developing policies and meeting voters andvolunteers—would’ve given me more of the character development I love and helped to make the arc succeed forothers.

Season 7:

Pros: Lucca Quinn.

Cons: Everythingthat is not Lucca Quinn. But seriously: there are a few things other than LuccaI like (the first few episodes where it seems like the writers are slowing downand re-establishing a status quo, Driven,Alicia’s breakdown in Judged, Party, the idea of ending the show witha slap, and the song “Better”), but mostly, I don’t like season 7 at all. Peterrunning for President is flat-out stupid, and an unforced error. Alicia’s wigSUCKS. Diane and Cary are off in silly plots until Alicia and Lucca(illogically, because of an uncharacteristically stupid thing Alicia does!)somehow wind up back at LG (or LAL, whatever, it’s LG). Ghost Will in thefinale is… not good (use Josh Charles, I don’t care, but bringing back Will inthat particular way is just fanservice). Peter’s trial at the end of the showis convoluted and I’m pretty sure the story changes from episode to episode.There are also some unnecessarily ridiculous reveals, like Peter sleeping withGeneva (no) and Kurt sleeping with Holly (very no). But my biggest problem withthe Peter-trial-arc is that it’s a repeat of the emotional beats from the endof season six. Season seven should not undo all of season six just so it can (poorly)attempt to do it over again. After seven seasons, it comes down to… Aliciabeing devastated over the voicemail (UGH) and Peter doing something sketchythat forces Alicia to play Good Wife again? Really? It’s like the writers chosethe easiest paths for creating drama (voicemail) and demonstrating growth (then/nowcontrasts). I don’t blame the writers, though, for how bad season seven is. It’sbecome increasingly apparent to me that CBS was fucking around with the show inseason seven: they rushed BrainDead to air like a month after TGW ended, whichmeant the Kings were probably spending most of their time staffing/writingBrainDead while they were working on s7 (they only wrote two episodes—the premiereand the finale). And as if that wasn’t enough, I didn’t believe it at the time,but I truly think CBS was hoping to renew the show for a Kings-less seasoneight. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that season 7 couldn’t take manyrisks and would have to get back to being a fun, simple workplace proceduralwhere all the characters worked at the same firm. So by the time the writerslearned the show was actually in its final season—despite the fact they’d beenplanning on seven seasons for years!!—it was too late to do anything other thantack on a rushed and repetitive arc to close out the show.

Biggest Praise(s):

·        ALICIA FLORRICK. I love Alicia more than I’veever loved any fictional character. That’s partially because of what she’s likeand largely because of how well, and consistently, she’s written.

·        A commitment to being realistic. I’m not sayingeverything the show’s ever done is realistic, but the writers were clearlyalways interested in creating realistic characters who lived in a realisticworld. I appreciated that the show acknowledged systemic, structural problems(within politics, criminal justice, workplaces, etc) and that it was alwaysaware of prevalent stereotypes and the importance of appearances. I think thatwhen people look back on TGW, it’ll be seen as one of the most accuraterepresentations of what the world was like in 2009-2016.

·        Casting, costuming, set decoration, and scoring.

·        Memory pops!

Biggest Criticisms:

When I rewatched season three (between seasons five and six)I said there were three main problems with the show that were especiallyapparent in season three. I’ll say them again here, and add one more.

·        Sprawl: Sometimes the show tries to do too much andit simply doesn’t have the bandwidth.

·        Bad pacing: 22 episodes is a lot. Oftentimes itfeels like the writers write BIG EPISODES and filler episodes, with no middleground. If the filler episodes were instead build-up episodes, the big episodeswould be even better and there’d be less filler.

·        Loss of focus on Alicia: When the show focuseson its central character, it’s less likely to turn into a sprawling,poorly-paced mess. My thinking is that if the writers focused more on Alicia,they’d have to be more deliberate about how they write the characters aroundher (to make the most of their screentime and establish their wants and beliefsso their interactions with Alicia are as meaningful as possible).

·        Since I came up with the criticisms above, theshow’s aired two full seasons since my original post (and I think I came upwith these criticisms before I even made that post), plus two full seasons of aspin-off, AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME DAMN PROBLEMS.  

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'Agents of SHIELD' World's End finale good, not great

Agents of SHIELD Season 4 ended on a very high note with World’s End. The season began with Ghost Rider and ended with Ghost Rider; and as a Ghost Rider fan, the action in this season’s last episode is the best GR action I’ve seen since the first movie. I’d go so far as to say that the action and effects here are better. Well, compare the technology from 2007 to today and the fact that Agents of SHIELD is a TV show, AOS has really delivered. Hopefully, Robbie Reyes continues to show up in Season 5, or this particular episode paves the way for Marvel to greenlight a separate Ghost Rider series. Let’s recap for a bit while reviewing the episode at the same time. First the obligatory warning, SPOILER ALERT!. But if you can’t wait to know what’s happened, and since our livelihoods here depends on your flaming devil-may-care attitudes, please read on. The episode picks up where the last one left off. Robbie Reyes returns in the SHIELD base and takes his car. The scene quickly shifts over to the Zephyr to May and Coulson. This episode, by the way, feels rushed and would have been better off as a two-hour special like what Supernatural’s going to or has done (depending on when you read this). They talk about keeping out of both Aida’s and the US government’s radars. May is still pissed about that bottle of alcohol (Hague is it?). I’ve yet to try Anton’s vodka with onions. Have to find some pure vodka first. We the shift over to Fitz and Jemma discussing on how to kill Aida. Fitz is still guilt-ridden while Jemma is anxious if Fitz is okay with killing the love of his alternative life. Their discussion is cut short when Jemma is alerted to the gradual erasure of the Framework. Yes, the Framework won’t continue as an alternate dimension within the show. Either it’s due to Aida’s anger, or the point of its existence was simply as a vehicle for her become a real person. The end of the framework, however, means the end of any hopes for a good LMD Grant Ward or the return of Tripp. Sorry, Skyward and Tripp fans. Then again, Ward hasn’t been around for a couple of episodes. Maybe it’s been done off-screen? We’ll be doing a lot of speculating later. Now the degradation of the Framework can’t be good for Mack and Yoyo who just entered it in the previous episode. Last we saw Yoyo, she was strapped to a chair after entering the Framework. Radcliffe comes to her rescue thanks to Daisy guiding him from the other side. The road to redemption has been pretty long for this character and quite dramatic. Radcliffe tells Yoyo that it may be too late as he notices the gradual degradation of the Framework. Fitz and Daisy do what they can in the background to delay the process and provide a way for Yoyo to escape. Aida’s own journey with human emotions continues to be unpleasant as she let herself be consumed by anger, rage and regret. She and Anton discuss their plan to remake the world but their discussion is interrupted with the arrival of Robbie Reyes in his flaming 69 Charger. Haven’t seen those flaming wheels since the first episode. Yes, yes. Budget, we know. He really needs his own series. Anyway, he tries to take the Darkhold and fights an Anton LMD and an unidentified one. He kills both and injures Aida in the arm. Robbie notices that Aida has become a real person and she shoots him with lightning, triggering a full transformation. Aida is shocked that her lightning doesn’t hurt the rider and teleports away with the Darkhold. Ghost Rider is furious that she got away. This sequence is perhaps more action-packed than the Ghost Rider fights in the first film. The effects look more realistic too. General Talbot calls Coulson to attend an international intelligence inquiry that wants to investigate the recent events. Coulson says no because of the threat of Aida. Daisy then tells Coulson that Robbie is back. The next scene shifts to Daisy meeting with Robbie. Like we said, this episode is fast-paced. Robbie explains that he’s back because of a tear that Aida created when she created her new body. The same effect when Eli was conjuring carbon spikes out of thin air. The tear was big enough for him to escape. Meanwhile, Aida is puzzled that her healing factor (probably taken from Jia Ying) has no effect on the wound inflicted by Ghost Rider. Anton explains that her body and Ghost Rider come from the same place. Which means, if anyone can stop Aida, it’s Ghost Rider. The other guy with Anton was actually duplicated from a Russian analyst supposed to be in the SHIELD inquiry. He and Anton show up at the inquiry and state their intentions that SHIELD must be brought down and even urge everyone there to read from the Darkhold. Talbot objects but then Daisy Johnson suddenly shows up and shoots Talbot in the head. Luckily, Talbot is still alive and that the Daisy that shot him was one of Aida’s Daisybots. The team shows up shoots the two Russian LMDs. They escape but leave behind the Darkhold. Daisy catches up to her double and meets Aida as well. Robbie however quickly destroys the double, and he and Daisy dispose of the other LMDs. Aida escapes before Robbie can kill her. The team determines that Talbot’s assassination was to be Aida’s ‘Cambridge Incident.' If the security footage leaks to the world, it would become the root of the Framework. Coulson suggests using the Darkhold to bait Aida since she’s afraid they might use it against her. Daisy also suggests that Aida’s terrified of Robbie. Robbie tells Coulson that Ghost Rider is thirsting for Aida’s destruction. Something Coulson keeps in mind. He suggests going back to the base and face their problems head on. He also tells Fitz and Jemma to temporarily get over themselves and work as a team again. It’s strange to think that they used to just be the team pop tarts who would always be in the background last Season 1. If there’s one thing we learned from The Flash, background characters can be made more interesting, but SHIELD does so without having to give them powers. Back at the Framework, Radcliffe becomes Yoyo’s guide and tries to help her win over Mack. He really doesn’t have to but he tries to make up for the damage he has done. At the other SHIELD HQ, things and people also continue to disappear and Radcliffe tries to talk Mack into leaving the framework which he refuses. Mack tries to evacuate the refugees to a safer place on a bus. Elena tries to re-acquaint herself to Mack to make him remember and convince him to leave. Their talk is cut short as everything continues to disappear including the people in the bus leaving Mack, Yoyo, Radcliffe and Hope. Mack decides to take Hope home and wait it out. Back at HQ, Coulson and May scout the area and talk about the bottle Hague and how to proceed with their relationship while Jemma and Fitz are busy keeping the framework intact for Mack and Yoyo. Aida suddenly appears threatening to kill Jemma. At Mack’s house, Hope overhears Yoyo and Radcliffe talk about that everything��s not real including her. Both continue to try convincing Mack to leave the Framework through a doorway Daisy just created, but Mack can’t leave Hope alone. Elena too decides to stay as everything in the house slowly disappears until at last Hope does too. Elena staying and Hope’s disappearance become the most intense emotional moments in this episode. Equal to the previous where Jemma tries to comfort a crying Fitz. SHIELD’s writers are really giving it their all assuming they know the show might not get renewed while others slack into complete disinterest. Back to the story, at SHIELD HQ, Aida confronts Jemma intending to kill her while Fitz tries to talk Aida out of it. But Aida is clearly psychotic. Jemma tries to stab her with a screwdriver, but Aida uses Vijay’s power to turn the tables and stabs Jemma instead. Fitz tries to get Aida to spare Jemma and offers her the Darkhold, but Aida electrocutes Jemma to death, intending to kill everyone in front of Fitz. Aida teleports to Coulson’s location. This scene felt odd as if the writers could do better. Fitz didn’t seem be as emotional as he should, but it turns out that Simmons was an LMD. But still, Fitz could have done better and made this scene more emotional. Simmons’ ‘death’ didn’t shock me as much as it should have but because the writers know it to be false and seem to be telling the viewers the same thing. Don’t worry, Simmons is okay with all the LMDs walking around. True, a smart viewer would have seen through the death immediately. It’s worth a try to shock them just the same. At the portal, Aida shows up in front of Coulson intending to get the Darkhold. She suddenly gets shot from behind by Jemma. But before she can go to kill Jemma, Coulson stops her and surprisingly transforms into Ghost Rider. Yes, it’s a big surprise. Could Robbie actually change his appearance? No, it turns out, Coulson gambled the spirit was desperate enough to get a hold of Aida to move to another body, the same way it did to Mack when it wanted to get to Eli. Aida teleports to various places trying to get Ghost Rider to let go. They end up back in SHIELD HQ where Fitz and Jemma witness how Aida gets burned alive. Unfortunately, this is the part of the episode I was disappointed in. I’ve grown to love Aida but we know she has to go, unfortunately in a very anti-climactic way. The same anti-climactic way the show got rid of Lucy Bower.  I wished there was more action but if the Rider lets go, Aida would have teleported away. But there could have been more drama as she could have begged Fitz to help her or told Fitz that she loved him. But her passing really felt like a loss though as you’ll feel sorry for an android who wanted nothing more than to be human. Like if Disney burned Pinocchio after becoming a real boy. But Ms. Mallory Jansen did a great job with what she was given. Fitz didn’t feel all that sorry though as he may have sifted through his emotions faster than expected, except for the guilt. Back at the Zephyr, Yoyo wakes up from the framework having managed to leave at the last minute. It seemed for a moment that Mack would become a casualty, but he wakes up as well. It was also an emotional moment for Daisy seeing them lose Hope and almost losing Mack. We then see Coulson and Robbie discussing Coulson’s deal with Ghost Rider. The spirit returned to Robbie after killing Aida. Aside from Jemma and Robbie, Coulson opts to keep it from the team, though they’ll surely ask how Aida was defeated given that Robbie was with Daisy at the time. Perhaps they know except for the real nature of the deal which we may later see in Season 5. Speculation here, Coulson’s going to start seeing visions soon. As a nature of a season-ender, this episode closes the tension between Yoyo and Mack’s relationship after they discuss Hope, Mack realizes he can still have a future with Elena, perhaps to have a daughter again with her. Robbie says goodbye, hopefully temporarily, taking the Darkhold with him to keep it out of the wrong hands. Robbie surprisingly uses his chain to create a sling portal to another location. They really made a couple of Doctor Strange connections here with the portal and earlier telling Coulson about the never-ending war between dimensions. Before leaving, Robbie tells Coulson that he doesn’t envy him, meaning Coulson’s deal with Ghost Rider could have implications in the future. Mack and Yoyo arrive to tell the others that the government is on its way and that Talbot is still alive. Fitz volunteers to stay behind and explain everything but Daisy convinced him otherwise, that separating one’s self from the team because of guilt wasn’t the answer. Back at the framework, Radcliffe drinks whiskey at the beach regretting that he passed on the chance at being immortal and lamenting the loss of Agnes. It’s quite a shame to lose this character introduced last Season 3. He’s as quirky as he was in The Mummy trilogy but a flare more dramatic in AOS. His performance was great especially in Farewell Cruel World as he took Fitz to the portal sincerely saying that the Framework as it was then, was never his intent as he only wanted everyone in it to be happy. Radcliffe raises his glass and just disappears. In the penultimate scene, the team eats together in a diner. Completely together for the first time. The lights suddenly turn off. The team surrenders to their unknown captors, but they turn on a device similar to the one used in Iron Man 1. The team is then taken away. In the last scene, we see Coulson waking up from a bunk bed, seemingly imprisoned. He gets up and opens a window to reveal that they’re now in space. Overall, the finale is good but not great. It was a little too fast-paced and could be more nicely done as a two-hour special. But it would be tough to cram expensive effects in a two-hour TV show. Robbie wielding his chain while untransformed is clear evidence of working with the budget while those moments with him transformed were awesome.

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